Bistro 33 (some refer to it as "The Beast") features a bar, regular seating, a banquet hall, and an outdoor terrace for parties or patio dining. The Redevelopment Agency, architect Robery Lindley, and the Haines brothers, restaurateurs of 33rd Street Bistro and Riverside Clubhouse in Sacramento, renovated Davis' Historic City Hall to create this new restaurant. This location was the previous location of the Davis Police Department. Bistro 33 accepts reservations. It's not a bistro in any known sense; this place would be better described as casual fine dining.

Food

The lunch and dinner menu are the same (see link to menu above). Starters range from $2.95 for a cup of soup, to $28.95 for a New York Striploin. It is possible to get calamari for ~$3.33 during happy hour though. Salads are in the $7-12 range, each of the six wood-fired pizzas is $12.95, and there are eleven different panini, ranging from $8.95 to $11.95. There are ten vegetarian options ranging from $5.95-$14.95, and several non-vegetarian entrees ranging from $13.95 to $20.95. The kids and dessert menus are not listed on their online menu. The kids menu items are grilled cheese, chicken fingers, mini corn dogs, all with smiley fries, and pasta alfredo and cheese pizza without fries. Kids' items come with a beverage. The desserts include creme brulée and cheesecake.

As of December 2008, there is a $4.00 charge for sharing, and an 18% gratuity is added for parties of six or more. Bistro gets busy, so you're best off making reservations during peak hours. If you make reservations, make sure to specify whether you want indoor or outdoor seating. They only accept 3 forms of payment for any one table, so be sure to bring cash if you want to split the bill.

They also serve breakfast on the weekends from 9am-2pm; see the link above.

Alcohol

$4.50 for a draft beer, $5.50-$8 for martinis (depending on what you order, of course). Wiki users have noted the shot size to be somewhere between 1oz and 1.5 oz. Their wells are Smirnoff, Bombay, Bacardi, Jose, and J&B. Like every other bar, when you order a drink and don't specify a certain brand, the alcohol in the well is used. So, make sure to name your brand if you want otherwise.

Cocktails, as listed on the menu, are usually made with Grey Goose, as specified. The prices for vodka are in line with the more expensive brands. The fact that they use (cheaper but arguably as good) Smirnoff grates people who demand a better name vodka for the price charged.

Certain drinks cost more depending on the style in which they're ordered, without a clear pattern. While they charge $1 extra for straight up martinis (no ice), they also charge $1 extra for whiskey with ice. An employee claims these charges cover the additional 0.75 oz of alcohol that is added when these drinks are ordered in these respective styles. The "straight up" charges are controversial amongst both patrons and the restaurant business in general. The major argument for charging extra is that people would prefer extra alcohol to a half-filled martini glass, and the major argument against is that martinis shouldn't have ice by default (and should be brought in an appropriately sized glass, and not automatically super-sized). In that sense, "on the rocks" martinis can be considered discounted by a dollar, but they are not marketed that way. No one has independently verified whether whiskeys on the rocks are poured with enough more alcohol to match the up charge, but such an experiment would put any controversy to rest.

They have the following beers on tap as of 7/20/2010:

Stella Artois - $4.50

Widmer Hefeweizen - $4.50

Full Sail Pale Ale - $4.50

Fat Tire Amber Ale- $4.50

Service

There have been many complaints about the mediocre or horrible service provided by the staff, especially when it comes to the bar. Stories include ridiculously long waits for food, being ignored, and drinks that never arrive after being ordered. Once a customer was accused of trying to rip the establishment off when he complained about the terrible service to the management although another customer claims that getting things on the house is possible. There are some who claim that the service has been consistently good though.

Entertainment

Echoing its eclectic interior design, the diversity of entertainment has led supporters to laud the Bistro for being versatile, and its detractors to criticize it as having a chaotic identity crisis. Sports fans can watch games every night on the two flat screen TVs. In the past a pub quiz was held on Monday nights, but this stopped in September, 2011. There are plans to bring this back someday in the future. Also, on Friday, popular Ryan Hernandez can be seen performing on the upper terrace. Folk musicians and other forms of entertainment can be spotted as well.

Andy Jones and Brad Henderson host the Poetry Night Reading Series on first Wednesday of the month (and the third Thursday of the month at John Natsoulas Gallery.) Featured readers have included Davis residents Joe Wenderoth, Clarence Major, Sandra McPherson, Hannah Stein, Rae Gouirand and Eve West Bessier, and Sacramentans Terry Moore, BL Kennedy, Jeff Knorr and Joshua McKinney. Traveling poets such as Richard Beban, James Ragan, and Kim Addonizio have also made appearances. Poetry Night begins at 8pm, and an open mic follows the featured poet at around 9. For more information and to be added to the mailing list, visit http://PoetryInDavis.com, and see the "Poetry in Davis" group on Facebook.

Historical details

As a look at this page's history will reveal, Bistro 33 has attracted a great deal of controversy since it opened. The first few months were particularly shaky, and the dominant complaints dealt with the unseasoned service. Since then, there have been major changes in the management, and several staff members (sixteen to be exact) have the benefit of having worked there since the restaurant opened. Server DrewKyler has taken an active role in this wiki page and has made food recommendations, and responded to user's criticisms. For those who are still concerned about the service, the wiki comments suggest that Bistro33 has been pretty good about compensating customers when servers err. Importantly, The General Manager has vocally welcomed customer feedback, feeling it suits the restaurant in the long run, and the customer on the spot.

Because of the page's popularity, it became the front of general food service debates including the economics of food pricing, the price of drinks, temporary authorization charges on credit cards, and tipping. This riveting dialogue was cleaned up in March 2007, and comments from 2005 were moved to Bistro 33/2005 Reviews, setting the precedent for archiving of potentially antiquated comments across the wiki. If you've had a more recent experience at Bistro 33, you are encouraged to update your comments below.

Comments:

Recent Reviews

2010-01-29 12:17:41 This place has good food and a very nice outdoor patio which is fantastic on a beautiful Davis day. The service is often very poor. They used to have Old Rasputin Imperial stout on tap which is an excellent brew (now there is no reason to go there). Overall I dont go here much because it is too expensive and the service is so poor, however the food and ambiance are nice. The presentation of the food is original and interesting, I like that. —DagonJones

2010-03-29 16:00:26 They hit the home run in Davis-The outside patio is very cool-The service is young, helpful and good. The food menu covers about all you would be hungry for and bartenders Johnny and Nate could tend in Manhattan. A bit more hip and a lot more friendly than most places in Davis. —BillBlades

2010-04-23 11:09:38 Service is hit or miss. Last night I was at the bar and waited for a looong time before the bartender even looked at me. He only helped the floozies with lots of cleavage showing. —SFNative2006

2010-04-25 11:53:22 This place sucks, and I have given it so many chances that I feel like a fool. To start, the service is some of the worst around. The bartenders are not at all attentive, I have never been to bistro33 at a busy time for them. Don't they depend on tips to live? I have sat at the bar for a half an hour before unserved, another time I came in at 5:30 for happy hour, and wasn't addressed by the server until 5:45 and she told me that it was too late to order happy hour food, even though the happy hour runs till 6pm. The food is usually just bland, and overpriced, and the calamari came out to us cold and greasy on more than one occasion. I guess what kept me coming back was they have five dollar glasses of champagne, but it's not worth it! —mollyringwald

2010-04-27 12:22:11 I have never had a poor meal - food wise. The service can be rather "hit or miss"; on that I agree with some of the other reviewers. And the bartenders are usually agonizingly slow - even when the place is pretty quiet. And that's just a crying shame. I've even had to ask the server to forget about the after dinner cocktails (after ordering it) because the service from the bar was just too slow. And that's just money off the bill (the owners should concern themselves with that), and less of a total for the tip (the servers should concern themselves with that). All of that aside, however, the food is usually very good. The patio is a gem - perfect for pleasant Davis spring and summer evenings. —browneyedblues

2010-04-29 15:27:21 Their homemade donuts are sooo good. I think their food is pretty decent and a good place to go if you want to go out for a real dinner with friends. service can be slow but only because they always seemt o be so crowded. Food is definitely overpriced. Their breakfast is really good and their donuts are homemade. Absolutely delicious! Service is fine but can be slow due to the large volume of people that always seem to be eating there —Ldish949

2010-04-30 01:58:42 I need to comment on this page after tonight - the service here was absolutely terrible. This was the first bar I have ever been to where the bartender actually insulted me. I was standing next to one of the "regulars" waiting for a drink, and he noticed how long I had been waiting. It was about 25 minutes of a wait on a somewhat crowded night - unreasonable compared to every other bar in Davis. The regular asked the bartender to come help me out and the bartender, Angela (as I remember her name; it was the only female employee there), replied to the both of us: "I don't know him, he looks like he doesn't tip." Needless to say, I was completely insulted. I left this bar and I will refuse to ever bring my own money or let any of my friends bring their own money here again. I would like to see the management or employees comment on this situation; however, I doubt this will ever happen, because it seems as if the management here could not care less for the quality of the service they provide to the customers. —james1

2010-05-08 23:56:43 Bring back the Columbian and the Shiitake Fettuccini, and I'll reconsider my role as a Bistro33 regular. —kg18

2010-05-17 17:45:42 I graduated from law school a few days ago and several friends and myself booked the upper terrace of Bistro for the night of our grad so we could have all our families sitting outdoors etc. We booked this in March, and signed a contract for the terrace. In addition to saying on our contract (which we committed to spend over $1k on) that we had booked the terrace, we were at Bistro the day before speaking with management to finalize orders etc and everything seemed to be in order. The day of, we arrive after graduation and find that we have been bumped into some weird back room that is dark and air conditioned and another party was enjoying the gorgeous 75 degree afternoon while our grandparents sat in weird booths without real tables or chairs in our little dark private room. Turns out, bistro had issued THREE identical contracts for the upper terrace for the same evening, and although ours was signed months in advance of the other parties now sitting on the terrace, they got there first so we could not get the spot we signed up for first. It honestly was one of the worst mistakes I have ever heard of at a dining establishment. The managers tried to be accommodating, and they reduced our bill substantially, however, we would have much preferred to have the experience we contracted for and we were all very disappointed that this happened and our families were unable to enjoy the al fresco experience. I would have much rather been given what we wanted and were more than willing to pay for than to have what we got at a price reduction. Really very unfortunate.

In addition, as the servers brought trays of appetizers out to us, multiple times when we asked them what things were they said they didn't know. Clearly, the (mostly fried) blobs we were being served were not things they have on their normal menu. It was very disconcerting for us especially as there were many vegetarians in our group and we couldn't even learn what some things were let alone whether or not they were made with meat... —soledad101

2010-06-07 10:09:32 They recently changed their Kennebeck fries - no longer buying them from a vendor, but are, instead, producing them in-house. Bad move. The new ones taste terrible - think old, over-done, tasteless fast food fries and you get the picture. To Bistro 33: Go back to the old item, guys. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What is broke, however, is the bar service. Why does it take so long for the bartender to draw a couple of beers, mix up a vodka cran and squirt a couple of Sprites into a glass? Why? We waited almost 15 minutes for our drink order to arrive. The appetizer was already half gone before our first cocktails arrived. Maybe it's a staffing issue, I don't know - but they need to fix it. Designate one bartender to dinner orders and two more to handling the bar itself - patrons that "belly up".

Love the food and the ambiance is still excellent, but the excrutiatingly slow bar service is making me go elsewhere to spend my hard earned money.

2010-06-20 16:17:04 Like hundreds of other locals who pay the $$$ to enjoy the food and atmosphere @ Davis Bistro 33 - WE ARE DONE! Terrible, rude service, especially the bartenders and hostesses - do they train them to dis the patrons who give them the best business and $$?? We are giving our business to very nice Fuzio and anybody but Bistro 33. Stick a fork in them!! —lindalukas

2010-06-26 13:48:53 In my experience, the servers are polite and friendly. The quality of the food is fairly consistent. One drawback is that several of the women bartenders who have left or are leaving—Angelica, Jillian, Bonni—are being replaced by guys. Bar managers need to remember that most bar patrons are straight men who like to talk to women. Bonni tended bar on Saturday mornings and was replaced by a guy who should probably stick to waiting tables. There is hope. A popular woman bartender at KetMoRee and Pasta? was hired at Bistro 33 initially as a hostess and server and, we hope, eventually a bartender. I'm not against guy bartenders. Nate is a great bartender. It's more fun when both men and women are behind the bar. —nowhereman

2010-07-12 08:45:52 Honestly, I have to say that Bistro's food is mediocre at best. There are plenty of options in Davis that provide better food at better prices with better service. The only things Bistro has going for it are its location and general atmosphere. I still don't understand how my wife talks me into eating here time after time... every visit has ended up in disappointment. This past weekend, I got into it with the hostesses during Sunday brunch because of their inconsistency with their dog rules. I was seated at the upper patio with my Beagle puppy (he wasn't actually on the patio, he was tied to my chair and sitting on the grass), not I understand that people might not like to eat when there is a dog nearby, but that's why I was at the upper patio, away from everyone else and seated by another couple of (college age, White) girls with their larger, Boxer sized dog. Just for reference, their dog was on the patio. The Hostess came out and said, "If you want to eat here, you have to tie your dog up to the tree and you can have a seat over here on the lower patio. we don't have any servers for that area." We figured, fine... lets see how the puppy does. I was a little confused/perturbed as the girls with their dog were enjoying mimos, appetizers and eventually meals, getting serviced by not 1, but 3 different male workers along with I assume the manager on duty (guy was in a dress shirt) on the upper patio that supposedly had no service to it. My dog being a puppy ended up starting to whine, as he could see me, but not be near me (separation anxiety). I ended up eating my brunch on the dirt next to my dog to keep him quiet, as to not bother the other people trying to enjoy their food, while my wife sat at our table alone. When I finished up, I decided to bring him over the wall and sit next to me as I waited for the check. Sure enough one of the hostesses pranced her way out to inform me of their dog policy once again. I told here I was waiting for the check and would be leaving shortly. After paying I went inside to speak to the Hostess about their inconsistency with their dog policy, and their only reply was, "Oh, we didn't know they had a dog since they were seated at the top patio." My reply was, "That's what I've been trying to tell you people, I wanted to sit up there too so my dog could be next to me." "Sorry sir, That area has no service, you order at the bar and seat yourself." "Then why were they getting serviced?" "Oh, they probably couldn't come in because of their dog." So I wait for this conversation to sink in for a bit, and I realized that the logic was just out of their grasp. I explained that would have been fine with that option from the start. I subsequently asked to speak to the manager on duty, but low and behold, he was nowhere to be found... he was outside bringing out more mimosa's to, and petting the girls' dog. So if you ever plan on having a meal with you dog in tow, be sure to be college age, white or have breasts. Or any combination of the 3, and you're fine. Otherwise, patronize somewhere else. —Aaron.Curtin

That seems like quite a lot of assumptions about *why* the service was inconsistent... —IDoNotExist

My solution has been to patronize other places. There are lots of other dog-friendly restaurants in town, even upscale ones (Tuco's, Osteria Fasulo). —CovertProfessor

I agree. Just stop going there. I haven't been in close to 4 years now, since the manager accused me of trying to rip off the establishment because I complained to him about the service at the end of the meal. I also don't think Aaron's conclusions about the service are inappropriate. He clearly explained what went on and how he came to the conclusion, and whether or not it's correct, it's at least reasonable. —TomGarberson

2010-07-16 17:27:47 The food is mediocre, and the service is terrible (talk about absentminded!), but if you sit outside, you can watch barn owls in the big tree. I ordered the "berry pancakes" and each pancake only had 4-6 tiny berries in the center. It was so lame! But I'd go back for coffee and barn owls. —JasperD

2010-07-20 11:58:17 Trivia on monday nights is fun, but be sure to get reservations. The bar tender can be somewhat sleezy. Service at the bar isn't very good either. Last time it took us 25minutes to get the bartender's attention so we could order drinks, and it wasn't ever very crowded at the bar. The food is good though, I would go back. —ucdavisstudent

2010-07-20 22:42:33 A note about the dog policy: According to the health inspector, having dogs within the areas that food is being served is a no-no. Bistro used to let smaller dogs on the patio (which I have), but large dog owners were never happy to find that their pooches were not welcomed when others could fit their companions beneath the tables (or in laps). So now there is a strict no pet policy within the gated patio (service dogs with papers excluded, of course). That is not to say that they won't turn a blind eye to the upper patio when it's not crowded if people want to enjoy a drink or appetizers with their pup, but for a server to come up to you and take your order you can't have your pet within the property. In which case all orders have to be made at the bar, and picked up there. You won't get the hands on, I'll-get-you-whatever-you-want service that people expect when dining out. Usually, someone will bring the food out, but again only if it is not too busy and they have the time. They do try to be accommodating, but of course helping one table out by bringing a second drink or ignoring a slumbering pooch makes others wonder why the restaurant isn't also making exceptions for them. But if you don't turn it into a big hassle, they are usually more than happy to help out. They even bring my baby ice water in his own dish, which he enjoys just outside the iron fence. —CynthiaPrice

Please see this concerning the legality in California of allowing dogs within areas that food is being served. Of course, Bistro 33 is welcome to have a more restrictive policy if it chooses, but it should not try to pass that off on some vague "health inspector." (Or, it is also possible that your health inspector is misinformed). Have a clear policy and enforce it consistently, and your prospective customers can then choose whether to patronize your business or not. Some people, including me, will choose one of the many other restaurants in Davis that allow dogs to dine with their owners. Others, perhaps, will choose your restaurant because they like your policy. —CovertProfessor

2010-08-03 00:04:07 The Pub Quiz on Monday nights is often sold out and I appreciate that from 9:00 onwards the place is packed. However, there is rarely a sufficient number of staff to keep up with the demand. I arrived tonight at 8:35 pm and was sitting at a table waiting for someone (anyone!) to come by and take my order. Fifteen minutes later I was joined by two friends. Still no service. Five minutes later we were joined by three more friends at our table. Still no service. It eventually took 23 minutes before I had a chance to make an order. It was another 20 minutes before my beer arrived, meaning that I had waited 43 minutes for a single beer. I find this unacceptable.

I don't blame the servers, some of whom are extremely good at what they do; our server this week remembered my drink preference from the week before which is impressive. The management obviously want to make money from the Pub Quiz (they have prizes, and a quizmaster, to pay for) and that is their right. They recently instigated a two-item-minimum-purchase-per-person rule during quiz night. If they continue to keep the place understaffed, the two order minimum will also serve as a two order maximum as it is getting harder to get served more than twice during an evening. —KeithBradnam

2010-08-03 14:04:58 Their bartender Nathan is easily the worst excuse of a bartender I've ever had the misfortune of being served by. I went to trivia night and sat with my friends at the bar, where I ordered a non-alcoholic beverage and a bowl of soup and he promptly ignored me for the rest of the night even though I tried flagging his attention several times. —EliYani

2010-09-19 02:14:07 Moderately priced restaurant with passable food. Service was a little on the slow side. But the buffalo wings had a kick and are worth going back for. —JohnBB

OWNERS GET BETTER BARTENDERS - I just left (at 5:30 pm on 9/28) and I could barely get the bartender's attention. He had a full bar. Bistro 33, get enough Bartenders during happy hour so that I don't have to circle around the bar hoping he won't ignore me. When I finally do get his attention, he's unhelpful, acts like he doesn't know how to make my drink, and then ignores me for five more minutes. I finally said forget it and walked out. RUDE! Do better. Why should people bother with an overpriced happy hour when they can't even get acknowledged? —DavisLurker

Sadly, service isn't appreciably better when the place is virtually empty. —TomGarberson

2010-10-18 20:14:53 In my experience the food here has gotten positively terrible. In a region with such beautiful meat and produce for them to buy commercial chicken wings pre seasoned is some kind of food crime. (and if they aren't commercial they taste like it which is worse!) Everything is cook by numbers. The salad dressings are glutenous and gooey. The photos on this page aren't even attractive. The nicest thing is the patio - especially on a chilly evening, but the food is really awful. Service is always nice and affable but you can't eat the service. Never going again. —AHoffmann

2010-11-11 16:42:31 Great renovated historic building (the former Davis police station and City Hall); outdoor seating and fire very nice; food thoroughly average; service average; nice ambience and bar at the right times; forget about this place after 9:00 pm if you are not under 25 and thrilled by loud-ass music. —Flokkenfisch

2011-01-02 20:39:43 Once again, I dragged my husband to Bistro 33, with promises of a cozy atmosphere and yummy food. We hadn't been in a while, and it just sounded good. Too bad I was wrong, and he won't be taking me back there any time soon. We were seated right away, which was great. Then, after quite a wait, a water server breezed by stopping to fill up some water glasses. We did not see a waiter for quite some time, so by the time he did spot us, we were ready to order our lunch. The only drink ordered was a decaf coffee. My husband ordered soup as an appetizer. A long time passed with no coffee and no soup to a point my husband was feeling like the soup would be served with his burger (which he did not want). Finally, a manager (I am assuming) came by and asked if everything was alright. Told her about the decaf and soup, and she went to get it herself. She brought my husbands lukewarm soup, and the waiter showed up with my lukewarm decaf. I had ordered the mayo for my sandwich on the side, and when the sandwich was served, there was no mayo at all, so I had to wait for him to come back to get that. The fries used to be so delicious there, and now we received our fries that seemed to be from the bottom of the barrel — little, dark, soggy on the top, crunchy on the bottom bits. Our server waited to come around to offer me more coffee until the end of our meal, however, he did not charge us for the coffee..Not sure if that was an oversight or just complimentary, because he didn't inform us of the non-charge. It was definitely not the experience I was hoping for on this rainy day. —BonitaP

2011-02-12 20:18:30 Went here for dinner about a month ago with my boyfriend and his family for his 21st birthday. The atmosphere was nice, waitstaff was friendly and helpful, and the food was good. A bit pricey for my tastes but that might also be because I'm a broke college student. My boyfriend said he really liked the bar and the alcoholic drinks and that the bartender was really chill. The triple dessert IS TO DIE FOR... sooooo delicious. I split it with his mom and stepsister... all three were divine. The birthday surprise that they give you is like a block version of the chocolate mousse that you get in the triple dessert sampler, but with raspberry sauce as well. Later on that night, the bar turned up the music and made the front bar area more like a club, which was definitely a plus for me. I really like the versatility they showed. Definitely recommend coming here for dinner/dessert. =] —kimmisan

2011-03-11 23:37:06 This food was AMAZING! The whole experience threw me off a bit because I wasn't expecting the "prices", but it wasn't that bad. —daviscatu8

2011-03-24 17:03:14 They have the best Tomato Basil soup. Don't just get the cup get the bowl. Great on a rainy day!!! —YogiJen

2011-03-30 21:53:35 Staff is wonderful!! they are so nice :0) the risotto there is so so so so so good!!! —purplemonkey

2011-04-08 17:34:23 2011-04-08 Best Cosmos Ever by Matt - made from scratch. Give this man a raise based on creativity! My husband wanted grapefruit and I wanted peach. Matt was up to the test and presented us with the best cosmos we have had ever.... —momtorfi

2011-04-23 11:21:17 I've never had a bad meal here, so I keep coming back since the food is always good and their menu offers a great variety for large groups or when family is in town. But their servers all seem to be students, rather than real waiters. If I'm going to spend money on a nice dinner, I don't want to be waited on by a kid. I'd be a bigger fan if their service matched their food and atmosphere—which are both great. —BrentKago

2011-04-23 11:26:15 I've become a regular. The service is much improved and I love The Ranier with bacon and also the spinach salad. —jsbmeb

2011-05-02 18:56:18 I like the food, but don't waste your time getting the mojito pitchers. They're watered dow, and the service sucks so you'll wait forever to get it. —Graveflower

2011-07-27 00:14:39 Tried this place for the first time recently and the food was actually pretty good. Will be coming back later for more tastings :D —C.Ling

2011-09-07 19:02:30 The food is delicious, the service is mediocre. Happy hour specials are great, and the ambiance is fun. Hanging out by the fire pit with a drink to warm you is always a fun way to spend an evening. Especially if you like people watching. ;) —mday24

2011-10-16 20:34:46 Well I am not one to complain but... It is not the worst food around but IMO not the best Davis has to offer either. I have always loved the out door area. It is lovely, cozy, and a some what organized area. The fire is great in the cold weather. My disappointments are really the service and the way over priced food. I can go to Seasons, for example, and get a really great meal for less money than this place. Not to mention WAY BETTER service. IMO —Sherri

2011-11-03 19:53:32 I eat out 4 or 5 times a week -around town and in Sacramento. I wish this place had good food, but it doesn't. I go back every once in a while hoping things have changed, but the food doesn't. It is just mediocre. The atmosphere is wonderful, especially the outdoor patio. Service is very poor when crowded. Best to go during off hours and eat on the patio - just don't get your hopes up on the actually food, because it is nothing special. —stodd84

2011-11-18 23:57:56 I had literally one of the worst meals of my time in Sacramento here. Group of four adults waited for Brunch for an hour before being told that they were "out" of several items and we would have to change our order. They then forgot one part of our order.

The food when it arrived was lukewarm and mediocre. It's a great location. Pity there isn't a good restaurant there. —rfrazier

2012-02-03 12:46:39 Where do I start. Somehow equality is not present in this establishment, which is a bummer because it has the potential to being a great date night place.

Pros: -delicious food/neat decor.

Cons: -they stopped Wednesday dollar taco night. (Super lame) -They no longer have specials but update their menu every so often -the service is CONSISTENTLY bad/rude.

My husband and I went two nights ago and while we waited for our table we sat at the bar. The bartender barely paid attention to us while he high-fived his friends. Being pregnant I was ready to order some cranberry juice and some fries while we waited for our table, but the bartender was quick to serve his "friends" (who came in after us), instead of serving two people who knew what they wanted.

Our best experience here was when my husband ordered his beer, waited 20 minutes for it, asked the waiter if his beer was coming and the waiter said, "I'm really busy right now". Later the waiter came back, apologized for his rudeness and comped our entire bill. We were surprised by his sudden change in demeanor that we left him a nice hefty tip. That ladies in gentleman was our best night. Sad but true.

bottom line: We are pretty jovial people who tip well and smile often, we keep going back thinking "maybe it was just a weird night" but with the constant bad service we're starting to think its something else. —jenb

2012-02-04 02:02:22 The bartender was rude. The food was late. The bartender taunted and threatened me after I refused late food and didn't tip. I'm a UC Davis student and a marine that did two tours in Iraq. It offends me after my service to this country, to go out with a friend to get a couple beers and have a would-be bad-ass bartender (who I'd wager didn't serve his country) try to taunt me into lowering myself into whooping his ass. Bistro 33 should be ashamed to have such garbage working for them. -Nathan T. Vazquez USMC —nathanvazquez

2012-02-07 12:16:53 Bistro 33 has excellent food, but the service is terrible. I recently had dinner at the bar with some friends because the wait for a table was 45 minutes. Our server did not give us water or utensils. There were several bartenders and servers, and it wasn't particularly busy at the bar. We had to ask a waitress passing by for utensils, and she did not give me a napkin. The awful service is really unfortunate because I like the food and restaurant ambiance. I've been there both when it's busy and not, and the service is consistently bad. I wish they would do something to change this. —striker

2012-02-07 15:55:32 iiiiiii LOVE the Bistro. The food is amazing, i would highly recommend the Seafood Risotto, last night i didn see it on the menue so im hoping they will bring it back. On One occasion i had an issue with one of the server ladies but im pretty sure that could be contributed to an extremely busy night on Mohito night, and my. . . . "active" crew. If you order your drink at the bar expect a watered down crap drink, and i dont want to sound sexist here but if u have a nice looking woman with you itd be best to get her to order your drink. i have been to many a mohito nights. seriously have a guy order a pitcher then have a girl order a pitcher. . . .ul see exactly what im talking about- COMPLETE contrast to sitting down and ordering a drink, no matter your gender itl be a great drink. So if your male and looking for a bar id say check out another spot BUT if u need a nice place to take your girlfriend out, you wont find a better spot in Davis. And the food they serve you- for less then 60 dollars including a drink FOR 2 PEOPLE you really cant complain. need it faster and cant think of enough to talk about while the chef puts together the fantastic meal?? try jack in the box right around the corner. —BassMask

2012-04-06 17:46:14 Went here with a date last week and absolute horrible service. Waited to be seated for about 10 minutes (with the entire staff making eye contact with me) and no one said anything. Went up to a waiter to be seated and he said he'd be right there... 20 minutes later still waiting to be seated. While I can't comment on their actual food or service, having to wait 30 minutes to be seated in a half empty restaurant is just unacceptable to me. I can only imagine what their actual service is like. Not going here for a while. —RSG

2012-04-07 17:58:46 Went here with some friends around 8:30PM a few weeks ago. The service was prompt and friendly. Had expected high prices but they were honestly even higher than I'd guessed. We ended up just getting an appetizer to split (HAH!) and dessert. The appetizer turned out to be 5 (five) 2x5 toasted pieces of bread. It came with a delicious dip, but — $10 for 5 pieces of toast and barely 1/3 cup of dip? It wasn't THAT good. We got the dessert sampler which was a better deal. We could barely finish it between the three of us, partially because it was sickeningly sweet (but it WAS dessert after all). I was really excited about the creme brulee and it MIGHT be the most authentic in town; but that's not saying a lot. I have had better elsewhere. Still, if I ever get a super strong creme brulee craving again, I will probably go here. Won't be going there for any other reason though. The prices were silly and the food was meh. Looking over the menu, the other items didn't sound very inspired, so there was nothing where I was like "I have to try that!". A resounding shrug.

2012-04-22 10:01:22 I've been to Bistro several times for mojito night and happy hour, but I'd never ordered food here until lunch on Picnic Day. I came at 11am so it wasn't too crowded in the beginning and service was quick. I had their Puget Sound panini, which a friend of mine described as an "adult grilled cheese sandwich." She was right. It was a creamy, cheesy, gooey goodness of a sandwich, stuffed generously with crab, shrimp, artichokes, and cheddar cheese on sourdough bread. Definitely one of the best sandwiches I've had, although the portion is rather small for the price of $12.95. I had a side of sweet potato fries, which are possibly the best sweet potato fries in town, and the bleu cheese and housemade ketchup dipping sauces they come with push it over the top. I still wish they had trivia night here :( —AlexHirsch

2012-05-14 18:27:20 I don't normally comment but I wanted to warn everyone to use cash only at this place. I just checked what I wrote down on my receipt as what I tipped and what my credit card statement says. The waitress tipped herself extra. Now considering I was having an appetizer at the bar at 5pm on a monday (wasn't crowded), and I had to get up and get the waitress' attention or some other hosts attention myself by getting up and walking over to them, tip should have been lowered. Too bad she increased it on her own. Again I usually don't care about this sort of thing, but adding the extra tip and bad service together? Not cool, Bistro 33. —nmahasuwan

I'm not a lawyer but I think what you allege constitutes forgery of a financial instrument and is a felony in California. If you have documentation you should alert the management as you may not be the only victim. —mikeycrews

2012-05-29 17:12:06 I went to this place with a friend several nights ago, and my friend (who is 24) was not allowed into the bar because he had a PA Driver's License. Clearly this ID was legal, but when my friend and I asked if it was possible for the staff to either scan the ID or speak to a manager, both requests were turned down. We were told that "Bistro 33 does not take Pennsylvania ID's." I am not sure if the bouncer thought that the ID was fake (it wasn't) or if this is a blanket rule against PA ID's, but either way the whole thing was ridiculous. Furthermore, even if this truly was a blanket rule, we would have liked to speak to a manager about it. The guy at the door flat out refused to let us speak with a manager and was very rude and unhelpful. NOT a pleasant experience, and kind of shady and unprofessional as well. —sls227

2012-06-09 15:52:16 Made a reservation for group of 20 for last Friday. Reservation was for 5:30. I arrived and was told the party before us is still here, so we probably won't get seated until 5:45. Okay, 15 minutes to wait on a reservation is annoying, but whatever. 5:45 comes along and the party is still seated and had just received their food. We ask how they can accommodate us. Treated coldly by the hostess, she says they can't do anything. There are no large tables available. They offer to seat us separately in booths. Sigh. I go to the back where the Tavern is located to check it out. Very few people back there. Come back to front to ask for manager. Manager is unapologetic and said he doesn't know what he can do. He offers we go back to the Tavern. We unfortunately cannot go elsewhere because we are waiting for our group to show up. We decide on the Tavern where we put tables together. No comped drinks, no apologies, no free appetizers. Should've been the LEAST they could do for putting us out. Instead, they acted as if we were inconveniencing them by showing up. NO MORE. We will find somewhere else. As if they care. End rant. —EricaMacGregor

2012-08-17 18:10:29 Went here last night and it took me about 30 minutes to get a beer. It was pretty busy, but there came a point where I was the only patron within a two foot radius. And still no service. Meanwhile I consistently saw the bartenders take orders from people that came up to the bar long after myself. The difference? They were all women. I will never spend money here again, but like someone else said, it doesn't matter. When you have terrible service and still get customers, why change? —JWesley

2012-10-06 01:08:21 Decent food, lovely space — thanks, New Deal / WPA! — and best patio in town. Unfortunately, also features a tap list obviously chosen by somebody who hasn't checked into beer culture since about 1990. There's truly no excuse for such a poorly chosen line-up that not only excludes California beers, but doesn't even choose from the top half of Oregon and Washington beers (why they're going for the NW vibe in the first place is a different question). Denny's quality beer taps are the main reason my friends and I stopped going here (and why I dissuade others from going here as well). With Davis Beer Shoppe, De Vere's, and Burgers and Brew within a 2-minute walk, it's not even a debate. Too bad, really. —Swilltopower

2012-12-10 14:36:45 I was going to go into an indepth review as to why this place is bad, but i'd rather not. Here's a short summary: bad service, rude waiters, mediocre food, overpriced. Plenty of better places in town to go to! —greensea

2012-12-16 23:50:35 Rude bartender. Overpriced drinks. The bartender did not show any signs of basic manners. He was tall, black hair, tan skin. I have no desire to go back to Bistro 33. Bottom of my list. —PrimaveraTime

2013-03-12 12:23:00 I decided to give them another chance, since I had not been here in a while. On the previous visits, I was never impressed with the foofoo food, but this time a consensus was reached when our dinners arrived. I had a cheddar cheese burger, which consisted of at most, a 3oz patty and paper thin slice of cheddar. The slice of onion was as big if not bigger that the meat. Strike one! My wife ordered the crab cakes entree and received two little silver dollar sized cakes maybe half an inch thick (that were mostly filler and very little actual crab) and a bit of sauce, that's it. Not even 2 oz of food, and that is an "entree"? I've had bigger appetizers, Strike two! Then, My mom ordered the Kobe sliders and what arrived was two little slightly squished meatballs on plain ol' white bread dinner rolls. I've never seen a order of sliders come with less than 3. Again, an absurdly small portion that even exceeded our experiences at Soga's when it was open. Strike three, your out. They did offer us free desert, but we were all still hungry after our "mislabeled appetizers" and had little hope that anything on their desert menu would be substantial, so we when home to eat. I do have to give the manager credit for cutting our food bill in half, but there is no reason to repeat that experience. I see them joining Soga's in the not too distant future. —Chuckles

2013-08-24 08:06:58 It's been awhile since I've been here, but there's a reason for that. The food is good (especially the fries and sandwiches), but service is very slow (especially on the patio) and pretty pricey. It's definitely a place to take your folks or for Davisites, where one can have a slow, leisurely, kind of pricey meal. Mostly, though, it was the slow service. The servers are really nice, so maybe it was a busy night inside (the patio where I was was pretty quiet), but just not.... fast. —HannahToru

2014-06-02 22:16:11 AWFUL service experience here! I created an account just to review the Friday nightlife/bar.

A group of friends and I got all dressed up and went for the second round of the Davis Trinity at Bistro 33 this past Saturday around 10pm. There were 2 bouncers at the entrance. Bouncer #1 (carding guy) was cute and polite, and let 2 friends through first, with 3 friends behind me. The first bouncer playfully hassled me about my ID (because I'd lost a lot of weight since I took it) but was totally cool and nice. Bouncer #2 (didn't catch the name, but more tanned) said, "THANKS for not bringing your FAT friends." WTF. I gave him a look, grabbed my card, and walked up the steps. All I heard was, "I don't care. She's hot!"

I'm not easily offended, but it was shocking and it got worse...My friends told me that he KEPT TALKING after I left...IN FRONT OF THEM. While Bouncer #1 was kindly giving "props" for how I looked and my hard work, Douchebro said, "I only said that to her because girls are ALWAYS bringing their fat friends with them so they can feel better about themselves!" While the nice Bouncer gave him a look, Douchebro KEPT going...

All in all, it was a fun night...The first bouncer was great, the bartender was nice, the DJ was spinning good beats, and everyone else was cool.

But WTF WTF WTF?! This guy is unbelievably unprofessional, offensive, and DISGUSTING. If I were his manager, I'd fire his A** and I'm sure as hell not going back to Bistro 33. People, take note. With all of the bad reviews on service for this place, spend your money and time elsewhere. —ElanBond

2014-10-05 18:31:48 I keep thinking about this place for date night but am hoping the customer service reviews get better... I think we'll head out for italian instead. I checked here and their yelp page. It was so sad. —jenb